1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a bumper protection device for use in connection with a vehicle. The bumper protection device has particular utility in connection with protecting a parked vehicle from damage caused by other vehicles attempting to park adjacent to it.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of bumper guards is known in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,641,870 to Heyman discloses a bumper guard. However, the Heyman ""870 patent does not protect the rear of the vehicle to which it is affixed, and has further drawbacks of being bolted to the automobile frame, requiring pre-existing holes and rendering removal difficult when the guard is not in use.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,113,164 to Setina discloses an auxiliary push bumper for motor vehicle that prevents damage to the vehicle when it pushes another vehicle. However, the Setina ""164 patent does not protect the rear of the vehicle to which it is affixed, and additionally does not allow for easy removal of the push bumper when not in use.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 2,736,287 to Moyes discloses a tailgate-supporting bumper-guard construction that provides a bumper guard that will serve as a support for the outer or free end portion of the hingedly mounted tailgate when said tailgate is in its lowered, load supporting position.. However, the Nloyes ""287 patent does not protect the vehicle from damage resulting from contact with another vehicle, and can not be easily removed when not in use.
Furthermore, U.S. Pat. No. 2,203,489 to Conwell discloses a bumper guard that applies to a conventional bumper structure as an accessory device. However, the Conwell ""489 patent does not protect the front of the vehicle to which is attached, and has the additional deficiency of not being easily removed when not in use.
In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 3,308,903 to Sobel et al. discloses a motor vehicle push preventing bumper guard that renders the power plant of a moving motor vehicle inoperative when coming in contact with an obstruction, such as, for example, another motor vehicle. However, the Sobel et al. ""903 patent does not deter other vehicles from making contact with the vehicle to which the guard is attached, and has the additional deficiency of inactivating the power plant of the driven motor vehicle when the bumper guard comes in contact with an obstruction.
Continuing, U.S. Pat. No. Des. 259,414 to Miller discloses a motor vehicle bumper guard. However, the Miller ""414 patent does not deter other vehicles from making contact with the vehicle to which the guard is attached, and cannot be removed easily when the guard is not in use.
Lastly, U.S. Pat. No. 2,083,742 to Poncher et al. discloses a bumper guard that mounts on the front and rear bumpers in a position to protect the radiator and the trunk door, respectively. However, the Poncher it al. ""742 patent does not deter other vehicles from making contact with the vehicle to which the guard is attached, and has the additional deficiency of being difficult to remove when the mount is not in use.
While the above-described devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not describe a bumper protection device that allows protecting a parked vehicle from damage caused by other vehicles attempting to park adjacent to it. The above patents make no provision for easily being removed from the vehicle when not in use. They also do not deter other drivers from making contact with the vehicle to which they are affixed. In addition, the Heyman ""870 patent and the Poncher et al. ""742 patent cannot be attached to a wide variety of vehicles.
Therefore, a need exists for a new and improved bumper protection device that can be used for protecting a parked vehicle from damage caused by other vehicles attempting to park adjacent to it. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills this need. In this respect, the bumper protection device according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing so provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of protecting a parked vehicle from damage caused by other vehicles attempting to park adjacent to it.
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of bumper guards now present in the prior art, the present invention provides an improved bumper protection device, and overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages and drawbacks of the prior art. As such, the general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new and improved bumper protection device for protecting a parked vehicle from damage caused by other vehicles attempting to park adjacent to it which has all the advantages of the prior art mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a bumper protection device which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by the prior art, either alone or in any combination thereof. To attain this, the present invention essentially comprises a base having a top surface and a bottom surface and a vehicle mount attached to said base.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated.
The invention may also include a reflective strip attached to the top surface of the base and a protective strip attached to the bottom surface of the base. Additionally, components to act as a visual deterrent to contact with the bumper protection device may be attached to the top surface of the base, such as metal spikes. The vehicle mount may take the form of an anchor with one or more straps attached to the anchor at one end and the base at the other. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims attached.
Numerous objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon a reading of the following detailed description of presently current, but nonetheless illustrative, embodiments of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In this respect, before explaining the current embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of descriptions and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved bumper protection device that has all of the advantages of the prior art bumper guards and none of the disadvantages.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved bumper protection device that may be easily and efficiently manufactured and marketed.
An even further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved bumper protection device that has a low cost of manufacture with regard to both materials and labor, and which accordingly is then susceptible of low prices of sale to the consuming public, thereby making such bumper protection device economically available to the buying public.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new bumper protection device that provides in the apparatuses and methods of the prior art some of the advantages thereof, while simultaneously overcoming some of the disadvantages normally associated therewith.
Even still another object of the present invention is to provide a bumper protection device for protecting a parked vehicle from damage caused by other vehicles attempting to park adjacent to it. This allows the user to easily remove the bumper protection device when it is not in use.
Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a bumper protection device for protecting a parked vehicle from damage caused by other vehicles attempting to park adjacent to it. This makes it possible to visually deter other drivers from placing their vehicle in contact with the area of the vehicle covered by the bumper protection device.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a bumper protection device for protecting a parked vehicle from damage caused by other vehicles attempting to park adjacent to it. This enables the user to protect a wide variety of vehicles without physically modifying the vehicle to be protected.
An additional object of the present invention is to provide a bumper protection device for protecting a parked vehicle from damage caused by other vehicles attempting to park adjacent to it. This makes it possible to not damage the vehicle being protected while applying or removing the bumper protection device by employing a protective strip.
Still yet another further object of the present invention is to provide a bumper protection device for protecting a parked vehicle from damage caused by other vehicles attempting to park adjacent to it. This ensures that the bumper protection device is clearly visible during low light conditions by use of a reflective strip.
Lastly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved bumper protection device for protecting a parked vehicle from damage caused by other vehicles attempting to park adjacent to it.
These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty that characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there is illustrated current embodiments of the invention.